Theravada and East Asia

Theravada and East Asia

June 29th, 2024 at the Weston Library, Oxford 

 

Call for Papers

 

The University of Oxford and Yin-Cheng Buddhist Studies Network are pleased to announce a one-day conference on Theravada and East Asia to be held on Saturday 29th June 2024 at the Weston Lecture Theatre, Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford.

 

Theravada is closely associated with the Theravada Buddhist cultures and communities of Southeast Asia and as such the presence of Theravada in East Asia tends to be overlooked. In the other direction, East Asian influence on Theravada countries and cultures is similarly often overlooked. Yet, there is a long history of Theravada and Mahayana interactions in the region, which are becoming increasingly more relevant in the contemporary period in relation to efforts towards Buddhist revival in the region. Meanwhile there are often close interactions in the spread and establishment of Buddhism globally. While discussions of Theravada and East Asia are usually framed in terms of a juxtaposition between Southeast Asian Theravada and East Asian Mahayana Buddhism, we must question how meaningful these binaries really are, and how might they exclude communities, religious customs, and cultural exchanges that do not fit neatly into such categories.

 

Papers are welcome on any aspects of Theravada and East Asia, historical or modern. Please submit your 300-word proposal to laura.andersen@spc.ox.ac.uk by 31st March 2024.

 

Please also provide a cover page that includes:

1. Your full name, title, institution (if any):

2. Your email address:

3. Do you need to give your talk remotely? Yes/No/Not if there is travel money 4. Do you need accommodation for the duration of the conference? Yes/No

5. Do you need financial support for travel and, if so, an indication of your route/costs? Yes (cost/route)/No

6. Do you prefer to present in: English or Chinese?

7. Would you like your paper to be considered for publication in the proceedings? Yes/No

All associated costs, including accommodation and meals during the conference, will be covered by the conference organizers. Depending on the funds available, travel expenses may also be partially or fully covered. The anticipated time slot for each paper is 20 minutes. Selected conference papers will be published in the Yin-Cheng Journal of Contemporary Buddhism.

The conference is kindly funded by the Yin-Cheng Network for Buddhist Studies.